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Linking With Integrity - Getting One Way Links The Right Way
By Jerret Turner (c) 2008

It's just as important to know what not to do when executing a
website linking strategy as it is to know what to do. With
inexpensive linking software and services so readily available,
there's a strong temptation to take shortcuts when it comes to
getting quality links.

Avoiding these traps will help your search engine placements
rise naturally and stay that way for a long time. In this
article, I describe two ways that you can help yourself avoid
being labeled a link spammer.

Link Farms

What is a link farm? A link farm is any website designed and
set up for the sole purpose of getting search engine spiders to
crawl and index web pages. These websites provide absolutely no
end user utility or benefit.

So how do you recognize a link farm? First, you need to ask
yourself, is this site heavy laden with links? Most link farms
will have a "farm" of links with little to no content. As for an
explanation of the site's existence, it's usually missing too.

The next question you need to ask is, what does the URL of the
site itself look like? Most of the time, link farms will have
long, hyphenated URLs (i.e. our-great-linking- directory dot
com). This is a generalization so not all link farms will have
these types of URLs. Many of these link farms are generated
using software. The software will go out and find a domain name
that contains specific keywords even if it settles on something
with several hyphens and numbers. You may still consider a long,
hyphenated site for linking purposes but make certain you
conduct more research before you submit a link.

Next, look at the domain name extension and note if it's .info
or .biz. In order to sell these extensions, many domain name
registrars offer a one-time, deep discount. I know of several
registrars that sell .info domains for 89 cents per year. These
cheap domain names allow spammers to generate thousands of sites
at a huge discount.

The next criteria I use to help identify a link farm is what I
call the "cheese factor". Although some link farms will look
professionally designed, most are either 1) generated with
software or 2) are designed with the same cookie-cutter,
non-altered templates that fill search engine results. This is
especially true with blogs. Spammers and Internet newbies will
not take the time to brand their websites or blogs. These are
commonly referred to as "pump and dump" websites.

Another question you should ask is, does it look human? That
is, does it look like someone hangs around and takes care of
things? You should also be able to contact the webmaster either
via web form or e-mail. If there's no contact information
available anywhere on the website, be very afraid.

If it's a directory site, check out the links in a few of the
main directory headings. Are the URLs hyphenated just like the
main URL? If you visit one of these sites, does it look the same
as the site you just came from? Are there more URLs crammed
onto one page than anyone could possibly visit in a lifetime?

Last but not least, if you have your suspicions that a site
might be a link farm, for any reason, stay away. It's better to
miss a great linking opportunity than to post your link and get
downgraded in your search engine placements.

Non-relevant Links

When you're placing your links, you want to make sure that the
site you're linking to has something to do with your own site
and, vice versa.

A non-relevant link is defined as a hypertext link placed on a
website, or in a directory, that has little to no relevance to
the linking site or directory. These links are placed for the
sole purpose of 1) increasing page rank or 2) getting a website
crawled and indexed or a combination of the two.

The most obvious way to combat not-relevant links, over which
you have complete control, is the placement of links on your own
site. Avoid placing links on your own site to another that has
no relevance to your content; even if it's legitimate. Why?
The link doesn't do anything for you or the person whose link
you placed. On the other hand, don't ask someone to place a
link on their site which doesn't relate to yours.

Google, Yahoo, and MSN all look closely at whom you're linking
to and who's linking to you. In fact, Google's PageRank
definition specifically states that link relevance (quality) is
looked at more than just the link itself.

So what's the solution? As in researching a potential link
farm, you need to check out the sites that you're linking
to. If you're submitting your site to directories or article
directories, make sure that you're submitting your content and
links to the most relevant topics and sections.

Don't worry about getting an exact match in terms of relevance
between your site and the linking site; just make sure that each
site complements the other.

Know the Linking Pitfalls

In summary, you can be accused of being a link spammer even if
you think you haven't done anything wrong. To keep your linking
strategy clean, I've outlined two specific techniques that will
keep your site safe with the search engines.

First, watch out for unscrupulous link directories and sites
(i.e. link farms). Use the techniques and ask yourself the
questions I've outlined to recognize and avoid these harmful
sites.

Second, make sure you're posting to relevant
sites/directories/ articles/ blogs or wherever you choose to
submit your content and links.

Most importantly, if you think you might get accused of being a
spammer, by attempting to use a linking technique you just read
about or software you just bought, trust your gut and don't do
it. Linking software creators claim that you can get thousands
of back links with the press of a button or for only "$49". The
only way to get good quality back links is to do the research
yourself and hand-submit every single link.

If you avoid these two traps, you'll be well on your way to
getting the links you need to get your website placed higher in
search results and, as a result, generate more sales.
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